We think there’s no better way to really get a feel for a location than to dig your feet right into the proverbial sand and kick up your feet with the locals. Apparently, Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino agrees. Just this May, they launched the EMBRACE Project, their newest ongoing community outreach program designed for the betterment of the island. EMBRACE stands for Employees Maintaining, Beautifying, Revitalizing Authentic Cultural Elements, as such, this volunteer initiative draws upon the generosity of resort staff and guests to aid in the cleanup of certain key Aruban landmarks. Their first event, in May 2009, aided in the cleanup of the Bushiribana Gold Smelter Ruins and the next will take place on Tuesday August 25th, 2009 at the Balashi Gold Mine Ruins. The first and only resort in Aruba to offer this unique and eco-friendly voluntourism program, Hyatt Regency Aruba’s EMBRACE Project is similar to a local sightseeing excursion. Guests can sign up with the resort concierge to join volunteer staff for a morning-long cleanup effort, which is offered once a quarter.

For the first volunteer session, the group departed the resort for Bushiribana, built in 1872 by the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company in the hills of Ceru Plat. Bushiribana is a special landmark to the Hyatt Regency Aruba as it served as the design inspiration for the resort’s entrance as well as its Balashi Pool Bar. For each of the ongoing cleanup sessions, Hyatt Regency Aruba provides all of the volunteers complimentary “Hyatt Force” t-shirts, snacks and drinks, roundtrip transportation on the ‘Kukoo Kunuku’ bus provided by Aruba Adventures, and, of course, all the tools necessary to spruce up the landmark.

So, after you Embrace the journey, rejoice in the beauty of your Aruban destination (insert rum cocktail here).

Summer rates start from $315/night

For more information about the Hyatt Regency Aruba EMBRACE Project, call 1-800-55-HYATT or visit www.aruba.hyatt.com

Editor-in-Chief

Professional Journalist and PR/Marketing Executive, Revis has worked as an Adventure Guide in the dense jungles of Costa Rica, rafted Switzerland’s Class V rapids, studied culture and wildlife in Australia and New Zealand, and worked as a Hollywood advertising film executive. In addition to living on the 13th floor of an apartment complex in Buenos Aires and Fort Larrabee off the Sunset Strip, she has served as an editor at Los Angeles Confidential Magazine (Niche Media, LLC), where she covered entertainment, fine art, luxury travel, and charitable causes. She was also a contributor to Teen Vogue, Town + Country, Art + Living Magazine, Islands Magazine, Kiteboarding Magazine, Moving Pictures Magazine, and Surface Magazine. PS. She doesn't like water chestnuts.

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